The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE), joined by delegates from other local and state education-related boards and parish government officials, were all on hand Thursday, July 13 at Lakewood Elementary to announce the completion and release of the state’s first Hurricane Preparedness Playbook for Louisiana schools.
The new resource was designed by the Department of Education to help school systems throughout the state prepare for the peak of hurricane season.
“Louisiana’s students, families, and educators have shown unwavering resilience in the face of extraordinary adversity,” Dr. Cade Brumley, State Superintendent of Education, said. “These recommendations will help modernize Louisiana’s education infrastructure and equip school systems with the necessary tools to protect their facilities pre- and post-hurricane.”
The statewide announcement of the playbook release was held at Lakewood Elementary, a nod to the impact hurricanes have had on St. Charles Parish Public Schools (SCPPS). All schools within SCPPS were impacted by Hurricane Ida, which put 300,000 children out of school in Central and Southeast Louisiana.
Lakewood Elementary’s principal, Kelli Oertling, who following Hurricane Ida experienced firsthand the challenges of managing a school affected by a major storm, was a member of the LDOE’s Protect Louisiana Schools Hurricane Preparedness Commission (PLSHPC) which developed the new playbook. The PLSHPC was first formed in 2021 by Dr. Brumley, gathering around 21 different educational professionals like Oertling from all over the state to help formulate the Hurricane Preparedness Playbook.
Speaking at the event, Superintendent of SCPPS Dr. Ken Oertling said the parish’s schools were well-prepared to deal with the aftereffects of Hurricane Ida, but after reflecting on the school system’s actions post-hurricane, there was still room for improvement.
“Even though we had a strong hurricane plan in place, there were still lessons to be learned,” Dr. Oertling said. “The Hurricane Preparedness Playbook gathers the lessons learned from those who have been in these crises situations and gathers lessons learned from those that have been in other crisis situations.”
The playbook includes best practices and expert guidance to support school system leaders before, during and after a hurricane. Funding for developing the new resource was supplied through a partnership with AT&T.
“We are proud to call Louisiana home, and we are honored to support the work of the Hurricane Preparedness Commission as they continue to strengthen our communities,” David Aubrey, president, AT&T Louisiana, said at the event.
For more information on the Hurricane Preparedness Playbook, visit the Louisiana Department of Education’s website, louisianabelieves.com.
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